Leveraging Adversity

Uninspired, Unmotivated, and Unhappy? Three Ways To Live A More Meaningful Life Posted: 28 Feb 2015 08:11 AM PST Photo by Celestine Chua  You wake up frustrated from a fight you had with your partner, drive to job you’ve told yourself countless times you should quit, only to return home exhausted and wonder what it all means. Does this sound like you? If it does, don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Purpose, meaning, and passion, after all, are universal needs. When we have them, waking up isn’t hard, and getting going isn’t either — we feel that what we do matters, and  because it does, there’s a physical response. We are awake, alive, driven, and probably, very happy. So how do you get there? Here are three ways to start living a more meaningful life: Commit. Diana Nyad did it when she swam from Cuba to Florida. J.K. Rowling did it when she kept writing despite multiple rejections. Jay Z did it when he started his own record label after no major label would sign him. Dean Karnazes did it when he ran 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states. Jesper Kenn Olsen did it when he ran around the world. What did all of these people do? They made a commitment — to themselves and to the world. And they simply didn’t stop until they got there. And commitments matter because the minute you make them, you become someone different. You are no longer that person on the fence, on the couch, or on the wrong side of wanting and not having. Now, you are that person who is in the act of getting what you want. You are the person who no longer looks on with frustration, envy, or apathy, and instead, is full of excitement about the fact that you are now who you want to be. For Philippe Petit, the man who famously walked a tightrope from one twin tower to another — and subsequently inspired a documentary titled, Man On A Wire, when the first step and the last step on the journey become one in the same, you no longer see anything but the way across. When you make a commitment and stick with it you will have strung your proverbial wire across the chasm of self doubt and fear to realize that you too can make it across. Create. According to Mike Rowe, who many know from the popular show, Dirty Jobs, people who live fulfilled lives don’t always just “follow their passion”. Instead, what Rowe tells us, after having worked on some 300 dirty jobs, is that it’s the person who stands back, watches the direction everyone else goes, and decides to go the other way. These are the people who refuse to be defined by convention, idealized definitions of success, or any expectations other than “wanting to find a better way”. Creation, for these people is about noticing where the problems are, and trying to find alternatives that make life better. And they do it because what creativity offers is an entrance into a world called autonomy. It’s where you go your own way, make your own decisions, and live the life you want. The reins are in your hands to harness the power of choice — to make any decision you want — because you want to live a better life. Rowe reminds us that heroes come in many forms — even wear some pretty dirty outfits — and that we all have the power to choose to live the life we want. Contribute. If you’ve read Victor Frankl’s powerful book, Man’s Search For Meaning, you know the power of contribution. For Frankl, it was what sustained him through several years in concentration camps, while learning that his parents, brother, and pregnant wife had all perished. As Frankl describes, he found meaning in his experience through his desire to complete his then manuscript. It was his way of transforming not just his suffering, but the suffering of many others, into something meaningful. Because when you find meaning in suffering, it ceases to be suffering. And when you find meaning in what you do — perhaps through contributing to something larger like Frankl’s desire to help others — you become an important part of a larger system. A system that needs you. A system that won’t work without you. And you have not just made the lives of those around you better, you have probably made your own life much better too. At any point you can choose. Right now you can. Turn the car around. Go the other way. Take a detour. And do what matters to you. Because your life — and your happiness — matters. For more information on living a meaningful life, going the other way, or overturning convention, visitwww.leverageadversity.net